Voting for Hope

Is the election over yet? I was reading through a column I wrote back in February, when I was already tired of the months and months of political wrangling between candidates.

Yes, if it is a word, I am tireder than I was eight months ago.

I know for whom I am going to vote, and I’ll give you a clue: my candidates never supported a bridge to nowhere. My candidates cannot see Russia from their front porches, and they are not particular friends with Joe (aka Sam) the (non) plumber.

My candidates are not (contrary to what you may have heard), Arabs, Muslims, friends with terrorists, or Marxists.

Have you guessed who is going to get my vote?

Yep, it’s Obama and Biden.

All I want is a fresh start, with someone with new ideas, a keen intellect, and the ability to make sound decisions for my country, which has gone further and further off the rails for the last eight years.

I want a leader who will restore our standing in the world. I want someone who will help us discover our best selves again; to reclaim the hope and promise of our wonderful country. And, for me, Obama is the man with the plan.

But the negative campaigning is really discouraging.

Like Wall Street’s wild ride, this politicking seems to have no bottom. Just when you think it can’t get any nastier, it does. I would venture a guess that many Americans are tired of all the venom and hatefulness that has become evident in the final days of this political battle.

Historically, elections always get negative. I have read enough biographies of American Presidents to know that much. We may think that we have reached new lows, but it is pretty standard fare to accuse one’s opponent of everything from treason to dishonesty to failing to pick up his socks.

The reason that we feel so worn out is probably because the modern primary season goes on forever and these candidates have been at it, in one form or another, for two years now.

So let’s take a deep breath and do what I suggested back in February. Let’s dispassionately look at the issues that matter to us, whether it is health care, education, or energy, and compare the candidates’ positions. This information is all out there, hiding amidst all the ad hominem attacks and distractions.

Do the research. Make your choice. Don’t engage in the hateration.

And then vote. And hope to goodness that by next Tuesday night, we know who our new President is. Spare us, dear Lord, from the curse of the hanging chad!